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11 TV Hill: Youth helping address homelessness

Like with any problem, solutions can often be uncovered by the experts, which is why young people who have struggled with homelessness are being tapped to identify other young people for whom home is just a concept and not a place.

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Updated: 11:00 AM EST Nov 22, 2015

11 TV Hill: Youth helping address homelessness

Like with any problem, solutions can often be uncovered by the experts, which is why young people who have struggled with homelessness are being tapped to identify other young people for whom home is just a concept and not a place.

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Link copied!

Updated: 11:00 AM EST Nov 22, 2015

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WEBVTT JASON: FOR THE LAST NINE YEARS, ST. VINCENT DE PAUL OF BALTIMORE HAS HOSTED THE EMPTY BOWLS FUNDRAISER. DURING THE EVENT, THOUSANDS OF HAND-PAINTED BOWLS ARE FILLED WITH SOUP DONATED BY 25 LOCAL RESTAURANTS. FOR MORE ON HOW YOU CAN DONATE BOWLS, MONEY, OR HOW YOU CAN PURCHASE TICKETS FOR ST. VINCENT DE PAUL'S 2016 FUNDRAISER, LOG ON TO EMPTYBOWLSBALTIMORE.ORG. LIKE WITH ANY PROBLEM, SOLUTIONS CAN OFTEN BE UNCOVERED BY THE EXPERTS. WHICH IS WHY YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE STRUGGLED WITH HOMELESSNESS ARE BEING TAPPED TO IDENTIFY OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE FOR WHOM HOME IS JUST A CONCEPT AND NOT A PLACE. JOINING ME NOW ARE INGRID LOFGREN AND SERGIO HOPKINS. INGRID IS THE HOMELESS YOUTH INITIATIVE DIRECTOR AT THE HOMELESS PERSON REPRESENTATION PROJECT, AND SERGIO HOPKINS, A YOUNG MAN WHO HAS STRUGGLED WITH HOMELESSNESS. THANK YOU BOTH FOR COMING I. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROJECT. INGRID: YOUTH REACH MARYLAND IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND STATE-LED ACCOUNT OF YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS TAKING PLACE IN SIX REGIONS INCLUDING BALTIMORE CITY, BALTIMORE COUNTY, WASHINGTON COUNTY AS WELL AS PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE STATE HAS INVESTED AND COUNTING OTHER YOUTHS. WE THINK IT WILL GIVE US A MORE REALISTIC PICTURE OF HOMELESSNESS. JASON: WHAT ARE YOUR ABLE TO DO WITH THOSE NUMBERS? INGRID: IT IS CRITICAL THAT WE HAVE THIS INFORMATION SO THAT WE KNOW HOW TO ALLOCATE RESOURCES. WE CAN ENSURE WE HAVE ADEQUATE HOUSING AND RESOURCES AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PATHWAY INTO HOMELESSNESS WAS SO THAT WE CAN PREVENT HOMELESSNESS FOR THEM. THERE HAS BEEN A REAL LACK OF AWARENESS ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESSNESS ON THEIR OWN. THEY ARE A HIDDEN POPULATION FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. WITHOUT THE DATA IT IS HARD TO MAKE A CASE THAT THEY ARE HAVING THIS LIVING SITUATION BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT HAD ADEQUATE RESOURCES FOR THEM. JASON: WHAT HAS THE DATA SHOWN SO FAR? INGRID: THE COUNT TO PLACE STARTING AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. THE DATA IS ONLY FROM THE STREET SURVEY COMPONENT OF THE COUNT. WE WILL HAVE DATA FROM THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM, THE JUVENILE WELFARE SYSTEM. THE STREET COUNT DATA WE HAVE SO FAR HAS SHOWN A LARGER NUMBERS OF HOMELESS YOUTHS. I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER IT IS LARGELY A REFLECTION OF CAPACITY IN THE COMMUNITY. IT IS EASY TO IDENTIFY YOUTHS THAT ARE ALREADY FOCUSED IN THAT ISSUE. FROM YOUNG PEOPLE AND SERVICE PROVIDERS THEY ARE YOUNG ADULTS WHO ARE HOMELESS WITHOUT FAMILY IN EVERY PART OF THE STATE. WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER PART OF FIGURE OUT HOW TO REACH THEM. JASON: WHAT DON'T PEOPLE UNDERSTAND ABOUT YOUTH HOMELESSNESS? SERGIO: THAT WE DO NOT HAVE A SPECIFIC IMAGE. YOU CAN WALK UP TO SOMEONE. YOU ARE HOMELESS BECAUSE YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'RE IN A SITUATION. JASON: YOU DECIDE TO TAKE PART IN THIS PROJECT AND HELP OUT. SERGIO: I WAS HOMELESS. THERE WAS A PROGRAM FOR YOUTHS FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING HOMELESS. I USED TO THE IN A SITUATION. I WANTED TO LET THEM KNOW THAT AS A YOUNG PERSON I WAS WILLING TO HELP OUT. THEY ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME TROUBLE YOU GO THROUGH EVERY DAY. JASON: DO YOU THINK THERE IS ENOUGH HELP OUT THERE? WHAT IS MISSING? SERGIO: THE CONNECTIONS AND SHOWING THAT YOU CARE. JASON: OK. THE FUTURE OF THIS PROJECT. WHERE DO YOU GO FROM NOW? KEVIN: WE HAVE HAD GREAT LEADERSHIP FROM THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND LOTS OF LOCAL PARTNERS INCLUDING OUR BALTIMORE CITY TEAM. WE PLAN TO CONTINUE THIS BUT WE NEED CONTINUED INVESTMENT FROM THE STATE ON THIS ISSUE.

11 TV Hill: Youth helping address homelessness

Like with any problem, solutions can often be uncovered by the experts, which is why young people who have struggled with homelessness are being tapped to identify other young people for whom home is just a concept and not a place.